Refrigerator shipping-box



(No Model.)

0. ANDREWS. REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING BOX.-

No. 591,581. Patented Oct. 12,1897.

T IIIII I 21m a WITNESSES ATTORNEY following is a specification.

direct contactwith the ice and toreduce the N-rrnn STATES Fries.

PATENT REFRIGERATOR ESHIPPING B'OX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Batent No. 591,581, dated October 12, 1897. I

Application filed October 2 3, l 89 6- To all whom it ug concern.-

Be it known that I, OTIS ANDREWS, a citizen of the United States, residing at El Paso, in the county of El Paso and State of Texas, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Shipping-Boxes, of which the My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in shipping-boxes for perishable goods, and has for its object to provide such a device in which oysters and the like may be shipped and at the same timetheirt emperature kept at the desired degree without contaminating said oysters by direct contact with the ice and the-polluting of the natural juices by the water derived from the melting of the ice; and another object of my invention is to enable the box to be reused an indefinite number of times and also to reduce the costof shipping and increase the quality of the articles shipped therein when reaching their destination.

A further object of the invention is to produce a shipping-box in which oysters or other articles may be shipped without coming in melting of the ice tea minimum. These results are accomplished by providing a watertight receptacle in which articles to be transported are placed. The receptacle itself is placed within a metal-lined box, after which ice is packed around the receptacle'and the box is closed and secured for shipment.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, its construction and operation will now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of a shippingbox made in accordance with my improvement, the top of the box as well as the lid of the receptacle being partly opened to illustrate their arrangement; Fig. 2, alongitudinal section of the box, and Fig. 3 a cross-section thereof.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied I provide a wooden box A, which is of rectangular shape, and line the same with zinc, (indicated at 15,) and to the bottom of the zinc lining is secured, by soldering or othfierialllo- 609,794. (No model.)

erwise, the clips 0, adapted to receive the receptacle D, which latter is composed of galvanized iron or other suitable material and is of rectangular shape, so that when placed within the box it will be held by clips against sidewise displacement, and when the top E of the box is closed upon the same the receptacle cannot move upwardly sufficiently to be displaced from the clips. I prefer to form the top E with a reinforcement F, arranged to fit within the box when the top is closed, as clearly shown, in order that the box will be more securely sealed against the ingress or egress of air.

The receptacle is provided with a cover G, hinged thereto at H by a continuous interlocking hinge, and is arranged to be secured inits closed position by the hasp I, adapted to fit over the staple J, where it may be secured by a wire or other seal. A bead K is formed around the upper portion of the receptacle, and a spring-strip L is secured to the rear portion of the cover upon the under side thereof, so that when the cover is closed the lower portion of this st1-ipwill bear against the inside of'the receptacle just above the bead, thereby forming a tight joint which will prevent liquid contained within the receptacle from passing therefrom through the sections of the hinge. Strips M are also secured to the under side of the cover of thereceptacle and project downward parallelwith the flanges of. this cover, so as to form a groove into which the upper edge of t the front and two ends of the receptacle fit when the cover is closed. This will form a tight joint between the cover and the receptacle at these points to insure the retaining of the liquid contents of the receptacle.

In practice the oysters or other articles to be shipped are placed Within the receptacle and the latter closed by its cover, after which blocks of ice are placed within the spacesb'ew tween the sides of the receptacle and the box and between one end of the receptacle and one end of the box, and finally a-sufficient quantity of cracked ice is placed Within the space between the front of the receptacle and the other end of the box in order to produce the same effect upon the contents of the receptacle without interfering with the hasp I and staple J, as will be readily understood.

hen this has been accomplished, the top E is closed and secured in place by the hasp N, passing over the staple 0, where it may be secured by a lock. From this it will be seen that the contents of the receptacle may be shipped a considerable distance without becoming injured, since the ice contained within the box and next said receptacle will keep the contents thereof at the proper temperature until all of the ice has melted, and this,

on account of the box being securely closed and no air being permitted to gain access thereto, will last much longer than would otherwise be the case.

In order to make the box more substantial and enable it to resist harder usage, it may be bound by strap-iron, (indicated at P,) and for convenience in handling'the box handles Q are secured to the ends thereof.

Shipping-boxes made in accordance with my improvement are especially adapted for the transportation of all such articles as crabs, shrimps, frog-legs, dressed turtle, fresh lobstcrs,or fish of any kind, dressed poultry, dressed meats, or any kind of perishable goods without liability of deteriorating the quality of the articles shipped by having the ice come in contact therewith or the water formed by the melting of the ice.

If found necessary, the grooves formed by the strips M and the edges of the cover G may have placed therein felt or other suitable material, which will act as a packing for the cover when closed, so as to further insure the retention of the liquid contents of the receptacle, as well as preventing water contained within the box from gaining access to the receptacle and its contents. Thus the receptacle may be opened and closed any number of times without decreasing its capacity for retaining its contents, thereby enabling the delivery of a portion of said contents and the rescaling of the receptacle, as well as the reuse of the box, for further shipping purposes.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is In a device of the character described, a wooden box lined with zinc, a cover for the box, a reinforcement arranged on the cover to fit within the box when closed, rectangular clips secured on the bottom adapted to receive a receptacle, a metallic receptacle fitted within said clips, so as to leave a space surrounding, a bead formed around the receptacle near the top, a cover spring-strips secured to the top of the cover and adapted to bear against the walls of the receptacle above the bead, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OTIS ANDREWS.

Witnesses:

S. S. WILLIAMsoN, R. M. PIERCE. 

